The present invention is directed to the art of composite pump housings, and more specifically to the art of making composite pump housings through lamination techniques.
The invention is especially applicable to producing vessels such as fuel pump housings, and will be described with reference thereto. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention has broader application, and can be implemented in connection with fabricating other types of pressure or fluid containing vessels.
Fuel pump housings comprised of polymeric composites have been known in the art. While these composite housings are desirable for the strength and relative lightness in weight they offer compared to their metal counterparts, a number of problems are attributable to their construction. For example, it is quite commonplace for microcracks to develop in polymer composites used in high pressure and high temperature situations. Although such microcracks do not substantially reduce structural strength of the pump unit, they do lead to undesirable fuel leakage through the housing structure. In addition, the internal surfaces of existing composites tend to erode as a result of contaminants such as sand, dust, cotton fibers and other materials which pass through voids or inner workings defined by the pump housings. This results in inefficiencies associated with the use of composite centrifugal fuel pumps.
As a result of the above and other problems with existing polymer composites, it has become desirable to develop a fuel pump housing that is strong and lightweight, and provides for a tight seal against fuel leakage.
It has become further desirable to develop a polymeric composite fuel pump housing that is resistant to erosion and abrasion resulting from foreign materials that attack the composite.
It has become still further desirable to develop a method for making a polymeric composite fuel pump housing that is lightweight and strong, seals against fuel leakage, and resists erosion and abrasion.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved product and method which overcomes all of the above referenced problems and others. It provides for a strong, lightweight polymeric composite fuel pump housing which seals against fuel leakage while resisting abrasion and erosion during use, and a method for making the same.